Cheap Outer Limits: Man With the Power / TV Show (Video) (James Goldstone, Felix E. Feist, Leonard Horn, Abner Biberman, John Brahm, Paul Stanley, Charles F. Haas, László Benedek, Leslie Stevens, Leon Benson) Price

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Customer Reviews of Outer Limits: Man With the Power / TV Show

An outstanding offering from a show that was ahead of its time!
For a child born in the 50's, the 1960's original "The Outer Limits" was a breath of fresh air in a television sea of westerns, variety shows, and cop dramas. There was nothing else on the tube that offered wondering minds a place where sci-fi and social commentary blended so well. Every week some of the best writers and established, as well as rising, stars would come together and offer audiences thought-provoking fare, mixed with great black and white cinematography and then state-of-the art special effects. <
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>One of the best of the show in the superb first season was "The Man with the Power". Donald Pleasence is characteristically meek as the man that, through a scientific "chip," of sorts, placed in his head, was able to consciously, as well as sub-conciously, summon a malevolent force that could, literally, eradicate anyone or anything on which he directed it. Pleasence's character is saddled with a shrew of a wife, an overbearing boss, and the demands of the scientific community; thus, setting the stage for his "alter ego" to come forth and wreck havoc. <
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>Of course, the effects are crude when compared to today's CGI but "The Outer Limits" was never about the effects. <
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>It was a show that dared to challenge its viewers with glimpses of what could be and how we should react to it. <
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>And "The Man with the Power" does exactly just that.

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Episode 4: The Man with the Power
You are tired and bored of your life. Nobody appreciates you. How far would you go if you were suddenly given an extraordinary power that could destroy others? Scary, isn't it? That's what this episode is all about. <
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>Harold Finley (Donald Pleasence) is frustrated with his life. He dislikes his job working as a college professor, his wife Vera (Priscilla Morrill) doesn't appreciate him, and he feels like he hasn't done anything productive his whole life. He feels like he wants to help scientists at the higher level in some way. Even though the scientists at the space agency do not accept him as a research scientist, they accept him as a lab rat to perform experiments on him. They install a link gate in his brain to give him extraordinary telekinetic powers. However, Finley doesn't realize that his power has a mind of its own, for when he is in a fowl mood, his powers destroy the object of his unhappiness without him knowing it. But since the scientists don't know about this, they think it is a breakthrough and decide to install these devices on their astronauts as well. Will Harold realize the side-effects of his powers in time to stop it from happening to others? <
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>I loved this episode in many levels: The acting, the story, and the special effects. Credit for this episode goes entirely to Donald Pleasense on his acting. He did an amazing job in portraying a timid man who is given outstanding powers. The special effects for the dark cloud emerging and destroying everything added well to the episode. <
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>To quote Vic Perrin (The Control Voice): "Deep behind the kindest gentlest soul, may lurk violent thoughts, deadly wishes. Someday men may learn how to cope with the monsters of the mind. Then, and only then, when the human mind is truly in control of itself, can we begin to utilize the great and hidden powers of the universe".

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negativity kills
Meek and mild Harold, so well played by Donald Pleasence, suffers with a wife (Priscilla Morrill) that constantly berates him, and a boss (Edward Platt) who bullies him; little do they know that wimpy Harold has become a mental dynamo, thanks to an implant in his brain, and if he thinks a negative thought, all hell breaks out. <
>This is a well written 1963 episode of "The Outer Limits" that has a core of truth to it; as a believer in the power of the mind, and the detrimental effect of negative thoughts, there are many things in this "mind over matter" scenario that reflect real life. Yes, the special effects are hokey, but the acting is good, with faces that are familiar to anyone who watched TV during that era; Edward Platt (1916-1974), who did hundreds of parts on both small and big screens will be instantly recognized, and of course the perennial Donald Pleasence, who delighted us for decades until his passing in 1995 with his oddball characters, and terrific performances. <
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>An interesting aspect to the "The Outer Limits" series is that one would invariably see the beginnings of someone who would go on to great heights in the film world, and in this instance it is cinematographer Conrad Hall (1926-2003), who won Oscars for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", and "American Beauty", though my personal favorites for the visual excellence of his work are "In Cold Blood" (Oscar nominated in '67), "Hell in the Pacific" ('68), "Electra Glide in Blue" ('73), and "Road to Perdition" (2000). <
>Other cast members include Frank Maxwell, Fred Bier, Anne Loos, Paul Lambert, James McCallion, Harry Ellerbe, and Paul Kent. Directed by Laslo Benedek, written by Jerome Ross, with a score by Dominic Frontiere, who would in '67, write the memorable music for the Clint Eastwood Western, "Hang 'Em High". <
>With or without an implant, "The human brain as control center" is alive and well in all of us, and this "The Man with Power" episode is an entertaining reminder of it. Total running time is approximately 52 minutes. <
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